Marketers are enthralled by Gen Y's youngest partner, the Millennials and for very good reason: They are an important market today and will become even more important as they graduate, hopefully start jobs, and spend money.
Because one of the markets we do work in is colleges, I can't get enough on the subject. Today I read with interest an article at media post by Jack Loechner about 200 Students from the College of Journalism at University of Maryland who unplugged all their media for 24 hours. (http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=127323)
I have a nineteen year old nephew and if you spend any time around any 18-22 year olds you know gadgets are like appendages to them. They can't imagine life without their cell phones and iPods. So what caused the most anxiety for these 200 Millennial's in the study? One student wrote, "This technology craze has become so deeply ingrained in each of us we know no other way of living our lives, but to rely on our cell phones, laptops, televisions, and iPods to keep us occupied and connected with the world around us..."
Daily text-messaging by teens has "shot up" dramatically in the past 18 months, according to a new study, "Teens and Mobile Phones," from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. The study also said nearly 75 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds have cell phones, hey no surprise here. And the love affair between teens and texting will only continue to grow. An interesting dilemma as marketers try to stay connected to this generation in a honest and meaningful way.
–Ann Byne, Principal of The Byne Group
I had the privilege of attending the Thinking Creatively conference at Kean University with our amazing design team last Friday. It was a great experience, and no, it wasn't because I had a day away from the office.